Alicia's Plog

Turning on Your Money Taps

One of the things I've been working on for several years is cleaning up my money issues. That includes everything from thinking I have to work really hard to make a lot of money, to taking care of old debt, to having a plan for paying down new debt, to plugging even the slightest money leak.

The truth for me is that I tend to not pay attention to my money as much as I should, so inevitably something happens where money MAKES me pay attention. It's not usually a positive experience. ;-)

I've made some big strides in this area, and along the way I discovered that once I started really paying attention to my money, it started showing up a lot more in a lot more positive ways.

Here are the 4 tips that have helped me immensely to turn on the flow of money into my business and my life that I know can help you too.

TIP 1. Keep a daily tracking sheet of what comes in...

I learned this direct from my million-dollar mentor Kendall SummerHawk. I track every penny that comes in on one simple sheet each day. When I first started doing this, I had days where I didn't have any money coming in, but within just one month, it's rare if there's even one day that doesn't have some sum attached to it.

TIP 2. Have a purpose for each income stream

I've always done this without really thinking about it, but once I started getting crystal clear about the 'what' and the 'why' for each and every one of my income streams, they turned from trickles to rivers.

TIP 3. Take care of any outstanding money issues

Just recently I sat down with files and phone numbers in hand to cancel some memberships I wasn't utilizing, get a refund on an erroneous charge to my bank account, and asked my assistant to send reminders for two overdue invoices. In that day's mail, I received checks totally almost $3000. See, money likes being paid attention to.

TIP 4. Find and plug those money leaks

In every business, there are places where money is leaking out. It could be the webmaster who charges by the hour and takes too long to complete a task. It could be a monthly subscription that you either don't utilize at all or that you aren't clear on its return on investment to be sure it's actually a good one to make. It could be paying monthly for a service you use all year in your business, and that you could save 10% on if you chose the annual payment plan instead.

When you start to pay attention to your money, it will immediately open up the flow of it into your business and your life.

Which one of these tips are you going to start doing today?

8 Ways to Grow Your Business During a Summer Lull

Have things slowed down for your business now that the warmer months are upon us and people are on vacation or otherwise taking a break from their usual routines? Use this downtime to focus on getting your business ready to rock for the fall by implementing some of the 8 ideas below:

1. Evaluate your staffing needs

If you haven't hired an assistant yet, whether that's a virtual assistant, an in-person assistant, or a combination of the two, now is a great time to do so. Begin by creating your ideal profile of what you want your assistant to look like, and then start putting out feelers to your networks about exactly what you're looking for in an assistant.

Once you've found the right person for you, the summer months are a great time to train someone so they are up to speed come the busier fall months.

If you already have help, take some time to evaluate their performance. This includes taking a look not just at your current assistant(s) but also any outside vendors you work with, like your web designer, your shopping cart system, your list service, or your copywriter.

If you're finding their work to not be meeting your needs and expectations, follow the same process as you did for hiring an assistant. Start with creating the ideal profile of who you're looking for and then put that information out to your networks for recommendations.

2. Increase your learning to increase your earning

The summer is a great time to educate yourself on whatever it is you need to know to take your business to the next level. Choose a business-building project, like building your list or increasing your search engine rankings, and invest some of your education budget into a program or product that will help you learn what you need to know. Then plan the time to actually learn and implement the material, and you will reap the benefits come the fall.

3. Makeover or create your ezine

Take an objective look at your ezine, and ask a few colleagues if they'd be willing to offer you some feedback on it as well. Make any changes you think might help it be more effective as marketing and sales tool.

If you haven't started your ezine yet, the summer is a great time to put one together and start sending it to your list regularly.

4. Clean out and organize your email

Is your inbox an energy drain?

Mine was! So I committed to having an empty inbox before leaving for vacation this summer, and I can't tell you what a sense of freedom and lightness comes with an empty inbox.

How did I do it? Delete, file, delegate, respond. DONE.

As I've been chipping away at this, I could feel the energy drain slipping away. Take some time each day to delete emails or unsubscribed from unwanted lists, delegate what you don't need to answer personally (which is more than you think), reply to ones that only require a quick response, and set the 'rules' feature to automatically sort future incoming mail into appropriate folders.

5. Revamp your office

In preparation for a move to another state, this was another task I worked on recently. It felt great to purge so many old files and papers. And by doing so, I created space for more clients and more abundance to come into my business!

But revamping your office doesn't just include cleaning out and reorganizing your stuff. If you also have tools that aren't working the way they should, get them fixed so they do, or replace them. So, if you're printer only works when it feels like it, get it fixed or get a new one.

6. Clean up your computer

Tired of wasting time searching for stuff on your computer? Take some time this summer to clean up your files, delete ones you don't need anymore, reorganize what you do need into appropriate folders, and remove old software that you no longer use. Your hard drive will thank you!

7. Write down your accomplishments so far this year

It's important to pause periodically and recognize your successes. And now that we're halfway through the year, take some time to write down and savor your accomplishments so far. Then plan out what you'd like to achieve for the rest of the year. This will motivate and inspire you going forward.

8. Enjoy yourself!

Summer is a special time of year, where people are more laid back and life takes on a more leisurely pace. Make sure you take some time to enjoy it. After all, isn't time freedom one of the reasons you went into business for yourself in the first place?

7 Easy Ways to Ease Ezine Writer's Block

If you publish an ezine regularly, inevitably there are times when you get stuck and can't quite come up with the perfect article for your issue. Sometimes just taking a break and coming back later will give you a fresh start. But other times you need more of a "writing prompt" to get you going.

The following 7 ways should help you get unstuck and get writing:

1. Write a Tip Sheet

Sometimes it's easier to get started by creating a list of tips:

How to...
The 5 Ways to ...
Top Ten Tips to ...

Write a couple of sentences for each tip, and before you know it, you have a completed article full of practical information for your readers.

2. Answer Your Most Frequently Asked Questions

As your clients interact with you, you'll likely get the same kinds of questions over and over. Take one or two of your most frequently asked questions and answer it in an article.

3. Use a Client's Scenario

Protecting your client's privacy (or not, if they give you permission), use their scenario as a case study. Explain the client's situation and what recommendations you gave, as well as what the results were. This will help build your credibility in your prospect's eyes as well, as this gives them the chance to see you "at work."

4. Comb Through Your Reading Box

Do you have a Reading Box (or tray, file, pile)? If you're like me, I get a ton of info via email everyday that I really do want to read, so I have a box where I toss all the stuff I print. Go through your own pile, and see what ideas pop up for you from there. (I do this often when I'm trying to switch from mommy-mode to businesswoman-mode.)

5. Learn Something New and Pass It Along

Did you learn something new recently that you can share with others? Or is there something you want to learn more about? Go and do some preliminary research and share your findings with your readers.

6. Interview an Expert

I love this one, but don't overdo it. Your readers want to hear from you, which is why they are reading YOUR ezine. But once in awhile, having an interview as an article, as long as it provides valuable content for your readers, can be a nice change and even fun.

Send your expert 3-5 questions to answer, and turn the interview into an article by adding an introductory and concluding paragragh.

7. Get Back to Basics

Think back to when you were just starting out in your business. What were the things you found most challenging? Choose one or two and offer your advice on how to get beyond those stumbling blocks.

Any of these ideas should get you started, and then the words will start to flow. I know when I'm writing sometimes, I'm thinking "ugh - not in the writing groove today at all" but once I get going, I'm usually pretty happy with the end result (but I do LOVE to revise, and revise, and revise... :)).

10 Ways to Earn More, Work Less, and Enjoy Your Summer

If you're anything like me, you start looking forward to summer as soon as the calendar flips to a new year. Take advantage of summer's slower pace and people's more casual attitudes and plan to not only take time off but to make some money while you do!

1. Commit to your vacation time.

If you haven't already scheduled a break for this summer, stop reading this right now and do so! Even if you don't have plans to go away or if your budget is tight, I strongly encourage you to put at least one or two long weekend breaks into your calendar now - and then make sure you do anything you want for those few days - EXCEPT work. You'll come back to your business refreshed and recharged. You know you will and you know you need it.

2. Have a summer sale.

Do you have some products or programs that you could offer a summer discount on? I'd be willing to bet there's at least one. Kick off the summer season by offering your prospects a special deal on one or more of your offerings.

3. Make a special offer to your current clients and customers.

Summer's a great time to give your current clients and customers a special deal. For example, if they've already purchased something from you, offer them a special deal for investing in an additional offering of yours, maybe at the next higher-priced point.

So, if they've already spent $50 on one of your products, offer them a $50 discount towards another of your offerings.

4. Trim your expenses.

Are there some business-related expenses that could be put on hold for the next few months, without a negative impact to your bottom line? There are probably at least two or three things that you could eliminate for the summer, and you may find out that you can eliminate them completely come the fall.

5. Create summer hours.

Start later in the day, take a mid-day break for a few hours, or end your day earlier. Take one day a week off. Work half days. Take four-day weekends. It's your choice, but by creating summer hours, you're not only giving yourself some time to enjoy the fleeting days of warmer weather, but you'll also find that you'll be much more likely to focus only on your priorities, which means you'll actually move ahead much faster!

6. Repeat a previously profitable product.

Do you have a product that when you first launched it, it sold really well? Maybe it just needs some new life and a new promotion. Don't re-invent the wheel and simply repeat what's already worked for you in the past.

7. Republish your best articles in your newsletter.

For the summer, consider giving some of your best articles (the ones people commented on, or were reprinted most often) an encore presentation in your ezine. If you've been publishing for awhile, your readers most likely will appreciate the reminder the articles will bring, while it will be new content to your newer subscribers.

8. Declutter your office.

I simply can't think when my office falls into chaos, and I'm always amazed by how much better I feel and how much more productive I immediately become once I get rid of the clutter.

Summer is a great time to declutter and reorganize. Enlist a friend to help, or hire a professional organizer to really get you geared up for the summer (and the fall!).

9. Declutter your mind.

When you started your business, did you write down your vision for it? If you haven't, or if you haven't visited your vision in awhile if you have, the next few months are perfect for reflection, dreaming, and planning what you want the rest of your year to look like.

10. Plan some fun stuff.

Even if you don't have plans to travel this summer, you can still plan some really fun things to do near your home. Having something to look forward to will help you enjoy some time away from your desk while the sun is shining.

Believe me, I know how hard that can be. I love what I do, too. But one main reason we work for ourselves is so we can truly enjoy our lives, right?

I'll be dreaming up the next iteration of my vision and planning some fun stuff to do on the dock at the lake. Where will you be dreaming up yours? I'd love to know, so please feel free to leave your comments below.

Your Free Taste Promo Checklist

One of the most effective ways of getting people to discover and try your products or services is by offering a Free Taste - which is just that, a taste of what it is that you offer.

Free Tastes come in many forms: an ezine, an ecourse, an audio program, a special report, etc., that someone can get for free in exchange for their email address.

It's a tried and true marketing strategy that if you offer someone a free taste of what it is that you do, they are much more likely to become a paying client or customer down the road.

Once you've created your Free Taste, the next step is to market it to encourage people to sign up for your list. The following are 15 proven ways to promote your Free Taste:

1. Your email signature

In your email signature (your name and contact info that you put at the bottom of every email you send out), include a link that goes directly to the sign-up page for your Free Taste or to its respective autoresponder. Entice people to click through with a compelling question, followed by the link.

2. Your website

Make sure your sign-up form for your Free Taste is prominently placed on the home page of your website, as well as on every other page of your site. This way, no matter what page your visitor lands on, you're giving them an opportunity to opt-in to receive your Free Taste.

3. Other people's ezines

Ask to be mentioned and recommended in other people's ezines within your niche. Offer to do the same in return.

4. Other people's websites

Offer your Free Taste as a bonus to colleague' in complementary niches to offer to their lists.

5. Testimonials you write

Write results-oriented testimonials for products or services you use and love. Give permission to the owner to post your testimonial to their website, including the URL to sign up for your Free Taste.

6. Articles

Write and submit articles within your niche. In the author's resource box at the end, promote your Free Taste by including the URL to your sign-up page or the email link to your autoresponder.

7. Discussion lists

Participate in discussion lists where your target market hangs out and offer your Free Taste, following the list's guidelines for promotions.

8. Thank you pages

On your thank you pages for purchases, offer your Free Taste. Your customer may not have signed up before buying your product or service and you want to give them an opportunity to do so before they leave your website.

9. Your sales copy

Peppered throughout your sales copy, give the opt-in form to sign up for your Free Taste. Most people don't buy on the first pass, but they will likely sign up for your free offering.

10. Your business card

On the back of your business card, tell people where to go to sign-up for your Free Taste.

11. Teleseminars

Offer content-rich free teleseminars and make it clear that your desired outcome is to have the registered guests sign up for your Free Taste, not to sell them anything.

12. Directories

List your Free Taste in the directories that are available to you via your membership in associations or organizations, and any directories specific to the packaging of your Free Taste.

13. Swap ads with others

Offer to promote a colleagues' Free Taste in return for promoting yours as ads within each other's ezines. Run your ad for a minimum of three consecutive issues for the best results.

14. Tell everyone

Don't forget to tell everyone on your contact list about your Free Taste. Send them the link to your sign-up page, and ask that if they cannot benefit from it themselves to please pass it along to someone who would.

15. Offer a free bonus

Offer a bonus or gift as an added incentive to sign-up for your Free Taste. A special report, an audio program, or something similar that is in a different form than your Free Taste. For example, I offer my ezine as a bonus for signing up for my free special report, along with an audio interview.

Remember: Never add anyone to your list without their permission.

These 15 tactics will help you promote your Free Taste and add significantly to your list numbers. Just implement them consistently, and you will grow an audience quickly and easily.

This is just a tiny check-list sized example of the powerful and effective list-building strategies we'll be covering in detail at my Online Business Breakthrough Workshop. This one section alone will cover your investment in the workshop 10xs over. Interested?

www.OnlineBusinessBreakthroughWorkshop.com

4 Simple Steps to Charge What You're Worth and Get It

At least once a week, a client will ask me what they should charge for an offer they're making. And as much as we both like to think that I have the magic number for them, I don't. At least not until we do some groundwork first.

Since this is such a common stuck point for so many entrepreneurs, I wanted to share with you four basic steps that will help you charge what you're worth and get it:

Step 1: Shift your mindset

Right now make the decision that just because you're going to charge more, doesn't mean you have to give more.

So many entrepreneurs struggle with this, and end up giving so much that they find themselves exhausted and resentful - which doesn't serve them or their clients.

Based on my experience with working with hundreds of clients over the years, I can pretty much guarantee that you are already giving enough - if not too much.

But here's what else I've learned. When you give too much, you overwhelm your client. And what happens when they're overwhelmed? They don't actually DO anything. It immobilizes them. What happens when you give just enough and leave the option open for more - depending on how quickly they are implementing and moving forward - allows them to do just that - to consume what you're giving them and to actually put it into practice.

Step 2: Don't decide in advanced what someone can or cannot pay

This is a common theme for most entrepreneurs and is an obstacle that comes up over and over again with my clients.

Honestly, it's one I don't have a lot of patience for. When I hear, "my market won't pay more" or "my clients can't afford those kinds of fees", you aren't serving anyone, least of all your clients!

That's what I mean about deciding in advance if someone can or cannot pay your higher fees.

I'll give you a personal example. If my mentor coach had decided for me that I couldn't afford the investment to work with her privately, she would have missed out on a boatload of money. But more importantly, had she decided for me that I couldn't afford her program, she would have taken from me the opportunity to step up in a way that made a life-altering change in my business.

I have two thoughts on how people make decisions about money:

1. People always find money for what they want, not necessarily for they need.

2. People buy based on emotion, not necessarily on logic.

So, your clients are going to spend money on what they want, what they value, and usually they spend more than they originally planned on (that's the emotion piece).

So, it's not up to you to decide what they will or will not spend money on. (Wouldn't it bother you if someone did that to you?) It's up to them.

If you let your clients make their own decisions on whether or not they can pay your fees, you're providing them with an opportunity for them to step up. When they step up financially, they also take you, the work and themselves more seriously, which creates extraordinary results. And for you, they simply make a better client.

Step 3: Focus on value instead of features

Our clients come to us for results, not features. What they're investing in is the value they will get from working with you and how that translates into results.

In any conversation with a potential client or any of your marketing copy, what you want to focus on most is the value that client is going to get, and the results they can expect if they do the work.

Here's an example: I have a lot of different exercises and tools that I use with my clients to help them figure out the value of what they do, and to determine what is the ultimate price that they should be charging for their services, products or programs. But those are just features.

It's the results of using those tools and doing those exercises that gets the client to be able to charge what they're worth, and they make more money faster. That's the result.

The difference is that the features are the steps, processes, tools or exercises. The value is the result that you get, which is charging what you're worth and getting it, so you're making more money faster.

Step 4: Make it very easy for your clients to say "yes" to your offers

There are a number of ways to make it easy for your clients to say 'yes' to your offers, and one of the most effective is in how you structure your payment options.

Most entrepreneurs give one option or maybe two, but there is a strategy to this that if you implement can be much more effective in converting potential clients into paying clients.

Here's an example: Let's say you have 12-week teleseminar series. Most people would either charge a single fee, or provide a 3 month payment plan, with the fee for the program divided equally into 3 installments.

And that's ok. But let me share a more effective option. Offer both a full-pay option and one or two other payment options. If they choose the full-pay option, they get to pay less. If they choose a payment plan, they pay a little more for the convenience of stretching out their investment. Credit card companies have conditioned us to do this, and it does make good business sense for you because you are being charged an additional fee every time a transactions is processed through your merchant account.

There are a number of reasons why you'd want to offer a savings for the full-pay option, one of them being that once your client has paid in full, they are committed and ready to roll. And they are going to get better results from that commitment.

Charging what you're worth and getting it will simply change your life and your business forever. It's been true for me as well as for my own clients.

And if you want specific help with raising your own fees and feeling incredibly confident in putting them out there, then come to my Online Business Breakthrough Workshop, where we'll be covering this topic in-depth.

www.OnlineBusinessBreakthroughWorkshop.com

8 Acceleration Techniques to Creating More Income Fast

If you're adding multiple streams to your service-based business model, where you're moving away from 1:1 services to adding more ways of generating revenue, here are 8 easy ways to accelerate your timeline to success and cash flow.

1. Put up your Free Taste and Invite Site asap.

The sooner you get that up, the sooner your list will grow, the sooner your revenue will grow. Get it out now (done is better than perfect!) and you can always revise it (and you will).

2. Make sure your Free Taste really is just a taste of your offering.

It's something you should be able to put it together within just a couple of days. Make it finite and not something you need to keep working on. For example, a mini-ecourse is a perfect starter. Then later introduce your ezine.

3. Build your list.

Take a piece of paper, write BUILD LIST on it big and bold, and stick it on your computer, on the wall next to your desk, or somewhere you will see it and focus on it every day. The quickest way to build to the point of revenue generation in your business is to build your list.

4. Find people who have some measure of buzz...

... around something they've been doing (book, radio, tv, etc.) and interview them (even if only for 10 minutes) and offer that as a Free Taste. Ask them to promote it to their list. This builds your trust and credibility factor with your target market.

5. Converge online and offline marketing efforts as much as possible.

If you're holding workshops, get email addresses. If you're sending direct mail, point the recipients to a URL to sign up for your list for your Free Taste.

6. Concentrate on building a core program.

For 30 days, intensely create a core program that answers most of those problems/solutions that your target market is struggling with. Then take pieces of that content to package in various ways.

7. Piggyback on people who are already playing in your target market...

...create a product that will be beneficial to their list, and joint venture with them to reach revenue sooner. In other words, find a problem another market is having that you already have the solution for, find the Center of Influence in that market, joint venture with them, and share the revenue.

8. Write a Top Ten article for a super-quick Free Taste.

Put it up on your Invite Site, and publish it at topten.org and add the URL to point readers to the sign up page for your list.

These are just nuggets of how to accelerate your business growth, and I'll be share loads more fast, effective, and easy techniques in detail at my upcoming Online Business Breakthrough Workshop: Your Blueprint to a 6-Figure Freedom-Based Business this September.

Which one of these tips can you implement today? I'd love to know so feel free to leave your comments below!

My Favorite Snippets from "Delivering Happiness"

Reading Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh's "Delivering Happiness" book was like reading a novel and a business book at the same time. It was so engaging that I read the entire 250+ page paperback in one sitting.

Here are my favorite snippets from the book - enjoy!

1. Build a brand from the inside out.
   
2. Without conscious and deliberate effort, inertia always wins.
   
3. Envision, create, and believe in your own universe, and the universe will form around you.
   
4. Never outsource your core competency.
   
5. Great companies have a greater purpose and bigger vision beyond just making money or being number one in a market.
   
6. Celebrate your past and current successes while carefully navigating for the future.
   
7. Be as transparent as possible.
   
8. A word is a word, a picture is worth a thousand... but a brand is worth a million.
   
9. Lifetime value of a client/customer can increase via positive emotional association with your brand.
   
10. Build trust and engagement, not buzz.
    
11. Problems are just mile markers. Each one passed means you've gotten better.
    
12. The best leaders are servant-leaders.
    
13. Make a plan, work it through to completion.

Want your own advanced copy of "Delivering Happiness"? I actually received two advanced copies of the book, so let me know which ONE of the snippets resonates with you the most and why by Tuesday, May 4 at noon Eastern and I'll choose one of the responses to send my other copy to!

5 Things You Must Have to Reach 6 Figures in Your Business

Even though I've had a 6-figure business for a few years now, it still amazes me how easy it was to create and how it's been even easier to grow.

And it's why I'm so passionate about helping other women entrepreneurs create their own 6-figure businesses. Most heartwarming to me is showing them how to break through to that seemingly elusive $100k mark for the first time, by taking them from the beginning stages of building their business all the way to creating $8-10k a month.

While raising two small children, I know that if I could create a 6-figure business and then double that amount every year since, that you can too.

Here are 5 things you must have in order to make that happen for you:

1. A Plan

When I first launched my business, I went in circles, doing a little of this and a little of that, hoping something would land and my business would take off.

However, once I actually designed a plan and put it into action, I started seeing results right away, which gave me the confidence and fortitude to keep forging ahead. In the same vein, once that plan started not working as well, I changed the plan, and that's how I broke through to the next level.

That first plan - that business model - gave me the step-by-step to get to my first 6 figures. Then I needed a new business model that matched where I had grown to, and that got me to multiple 6 figures. And I know if I want to reach 7-figures, I'm going to have to adapt my business model again.

Much like Zappos did when they had to change their existing business model of drop-shipping to a combination of drop-shipping and housing inventory in order to get over that next hump in their business growth.

This is one the first things I do with my Platinum clients. We re-design their business model so that they know exactly what they are going to offer, and in what order, eliminating confusion and creating a clear path to their income goal.

2. A Take-Action Attitude

With your plan - your blueprint - complete, all you have to do is work the plan. That means taking action by implementing what's on the plan. Consistently, constantly, confidently and completely - all while staying flexible and paying attention to what's working and what's not.

Too many people create the plan and then do nothing with it. Or worse, they create the plan and then re-create it and re-create it and re-create it. And still do nothing.

If you're not an implementor, then you need to hire someone on your team who is. Otherwise, your business will never get off the ground.

3. Being crystal clear on your IT

Do you know what you IT is?

By your IT, I mean more than just who you serve, though that's critical too. By IT, I mean what is it you're known for, or what is IT you want to become known for.

Once you're crystal clear on your It - or your doorway through which people can easily get to know you and what you offer - joint ventures, clients, and other opportunities begin to flow much more easily and are much more aligned to who you are and what your business is about.

4. A Bigger Why

Speaking of what your business is all about, you must have a bigger WHY than just making money.

Look, we're all in business to make a profit. But if all you're doing is chasing the money, you won't acheive the flow of abundance that's waiting for you until you figure out and embrace your bigger why.

5. Faith enough to take the leap

Sometimes the only thing that will get us where we want to go is a leap of faith.

If you've got a burning desire for something, that desire didn't just show up out of the blue. It means it's waiting for you to receive it. So no matter how scared you are, or how much you don't know about how to make your desire your reality, stepping forward in a leap of faith can make wonders happen.

But Alicia, there has to be more?

Of course there is, but if you have these foundational pieces in place, you'll be well on your way to creating the 6 figure income you desire and deserve, more easily and quickly than you can imagine right now.

And of course there are some specific actions you'll need to take and a plan you need to create to make all of this work seamlessly - which I'll be sharing in detail at my upcoming Online Business Breakthrough Workshop this September.

I'd love to know which if the 5 seems the hardest for you right now? Feel free to let me know below!

Is Your Business Model Working For You?

Are you frustrated by a business model that's not working?

If your answer is yes, you're not alone. One of the biggest frustrations I've seen lately is that many of you are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole with your business model, so you're getting nowhere fast and getting frustrated enough to want to call it quits.

But I don't want you to do that!

Listen, building a successful and sustainable business online is NOT difficult. It takes time, effort, guidance, and the RIGHT business model for where you're at in your business building journey. Trying to jump too quickly to a more sophisticated model is only going to make you overwhelmed, frustrated and feeling like a failure.

Here are four sure-fire ways to know that your business model is NOT working for you:

1. You're working too hard for the return on your efforts...

If the current model you're applying to your business feels really hard or you find yourself less than enthusiastic about it almost all the time, then you're probably following the wrong model for your business.

2. You're only focused on one or two revenue streams...

Regardless what your business is, if your income only comes from one or two sources, then it's not a viable or sustainable business model.

3. Your offers are a mismatch with your current market and message...

This is the one I'm seeing most often right now. If your offers are out of sync with the maturity of your business - and the business owner, honestly - then that business model is not serving you - or your market.

4. Your offers actually devalue your true worth...

On the flipside of #3, your business may have grown to a position in your market where by not increasing the level and investment in your offers, you'll find yourself stuck at the same income level until you do.

I've been in all four places, only to change models and be able to break through to the next level in my business growth.

Which one of these scenarios is your business in? I'd love to know so feel free to leave your comments below!